MIDDLEBURY — The eighth-grade civics class from Northridge Middle School gave the Middlebury Parks Department around 180 helping hands to get Krider Gardens bedded down for winter on Saturday. Students raked a lot of leaves, dug up bulbs, spread mulch, planted shrubs, removed logs and fallen branches and removed tree seedlings.

“We want the kids to be involved in the community,” said teacher Tim Luken. “We do a big service project each quarter, and the kids enjoy doing this one every year. The community is proud of Krider Gardens, and the students can see the results of what they’ve done when they come to the park.”

“See that clean hill? That’s my work,” said student Alissa Howard.

“It’s a good cause because it’s helping,” said her friend, McKenzie Phillips. “More people need to do things like this to make the world a better place. It’s helping the environment and kind of fun.”

“This is fun, and it gives me something to do on a Saturday,” said student Mason Cross.

“The parks department sincerely appreciates the students’ work,” said park board president John McKee. “We appreciate their enthusiasm and willingness to help, and it enables the parks department to do things that just would not get done otherwise. We are also building some attitudes and habits for the future in these students, an attitude of community service.”

“It’s neat when students come back and tell us that they picked up things doing community service in eighth grade that helped them find their passions,” said teacher Judith Mantyla.

The civics class will also do another day of community service work in the Middlebury parks in the spring.